WALTER WILSON COBBETT AND THE ENGLISH PHANTASY. Kathryn L. Lent. A Thesis

Transcription

1 WALTER WILSON COBBETT AND THE ENGLISH PHANTASY Kathryn L. Lent A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSIC August 2008 Committee: Eftychia Papanikolaou, Advisor Mary Natvig Robert Fallon

2 2008 Kathryn Lent All Rights Reserved

3 iii ABSTRACT Eftychia Papanikolaou, Advisor Walter Wilson Cobbett ( ), amateur violonist and philanthropist during the English Musical Renaissance, supported the composition and performance of chamber music in England. In 1905 and 1907 Cobbett held competitions, followed by a series of commissions over the next decade, for compositions that he called Phantasies. According to Cobbett s announcement, the phantasies were to be twelve minutes in length, have sections that differed in tempo and meter, and had parts of equal importance. These works were to be reminiscent of the early English fantasies and were intended to supplement the longer chamber works that were popular at the time. Following a discussion of the English Fantasia and Cobbett s musical knowledge, this thesis examines Cobbett s phantasy competitions and commissions in addition to his definition of the term phantasy. After Cobbett s ideas are established, the reactions and comments of his contemporaries are presented and discussed. The final pages discuss and analyze three of the award winning phantasies in terms of Liszt s thematic transformation and Brahms s developing variation.

4 To My Mom iv

5 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Eftychia Papanikolaou. Her patience, encouragement and knowledge have been inspiring. I would like to thank Dr. Mary Nativg for being an amazing source of support as a musicologist and a human being throughout my time at BGSU. I would like to thank Dr. Robert Fallon for teaching me about the technical aspects of writing, as well as encouraging confidence in my own writing. Dr. Vincent Corrigan has been indispensable to me during my two years at BGSU. He has taught me to be a better scholar and teacher, and I am forever grateful for his help and support. I am grateful to Dr. Christopher Williams for first encouraging my interest in Vaughan Williams s Phantasy Quintet. I would like to acknowledge Alan Elkins, Jennifer Smith, and Olga Godula for giving of their time and talent to play through phantasies for which there were no recordings available. I would like to thank Morgan Rich for her friendship and support. I could not have done this alone. Dr. Marjorie Roth of Nazareth College first inspired me to pursue musicology. Thank you for the courage. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for always supporting my love of music.

6 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. BACKGROUND AND TERMINOLOGY... 5 Walter Wilson Cobbett... 5 Chamber Music During the English Musical Renaissance... 8 The English Fantasia CHAPTER II. COBBETT AND THE PHANTASY Cobbett and the English Fantasia The Competitions and Commissions Cobbett s Intentions Cobbett s Definition of Phantasy Cobbett s Reaction to the Phantasy CHAPTER III. REACTIONS AND ANALYSIS Reactions Thematic Transformation and Developing Variation Analysis: Developing Variation in the Phantasies Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet in A Minor Bridge, Phantasie for String Quartet Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSIONS APPENDIX: PHANTASY COMPOSITIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY... 76

7 vii MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example Page 1 Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin II, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin II, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin I, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, cello, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin I, mm Hurlstone, Phantasie for String Quartet, viola, mm Bridge, Phantasie for String Quartet, mm Bridge, Phantasie for String Quartet, mm Bridge, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin I, mm Bridge, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin I, mm Bridge, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin I, mm Bridge, Phantasie for String Quartet, violin I, mm Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, mm Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, violin, mm Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, piano, m Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, cello, m Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, violin and cello, mm Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, mm

8 viii 22 Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, mm Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, piano, mm Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, cello, mm Bridge, Phantasie Piano Trio, violin and cello, mm

9 INTRODUCTION The period in England between 1840 and 1940 is known as the English Musical Renaissance. 1 Culturally, England was waking up, and for the first time since the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was beginning to re-gain international attention in musical circles. Many of England s highly respected educational institutions were founded during this time, including the Royal College of Organists in 1864, Trinity College in 1872, the Guildhall School of Music in 1880, the Royal College of Music in 1882, and the London College of Music in 1887, to name just a few. 2 This Renaissance also saw the appearance of musical societies. The Musical Association, now the Royal Musical Association, was established in 1874, for the investigation and discussion of subjects connected with the Science and Art of music. 3 Another notable product of this time is The Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by George Grove and published between 1879 and In their book The English Musical Renaissance, , Meirion Hughes and Robert Stradling note that, music in England was no longer enough; there had to be an English Music, too. Such matters could no longer be taken lightly. A Music for England became a political priority, an extension of competing nationalisms. 5 English composers answered this call for an English national music by returning to their roots. Many turned to the folk music of Great Britain, as well as Tudor music from the Elizabethan and Jacobean courts. This interest can be seen in the Folk-Song Society (1889) and the English Folk Dance Society (1911), which merged into The English Folk Dance and Song Society in 1932, 6 as well as the Purcell Society, which 1 Meirion Hughes and R. A. Stradling, The English Musical Renaissance, : Constructing a National Music, 2 nd ed. (New York: Manchester University Press, 2001). 2 Ibid., Ibid. 4 Ibid., Ibid., Ibid., 47; Derek Schofield, History of the EFDSS, The English Folk Dance and Song Society (accessed May 20,

10 2 formed in 1876 with the goal of publishing all of Henry Purcell s music. 7 These new interests were reflected in the music of the time, for example Ralph Vaughan Williams s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910), 8 or his Six Studies in English Folksong for violoncello and pianoforte (1926). 9 Amateur violinist Walter Wilson Cobbett ( ), although not well known today was an important figure in the English Musical Renaissance. Those who know of Cobbett most likely know his Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music (1929), which was the first comprehensive dictionary covering the history of chamber music. Perhaps an equally important contribution, however, was his origination of a new genre of English music called the phantasy. With the help of a musicians guild called the Worshipful Company of Musicians, Cobbett claimed he coined the term phantasy in place of the more commonly spelled fantasy, in reference to music. In 1905 and 1907 he set up competitions requesting string quartets and trios, respectively, in his phantasy genre. Following these two competitions Cobbett commissioned twelve phantasies, each with different instrumentation and from a different English composer. These competitions and commissions resulted in a body of work exhibiting the so-called phantasy characteristics. 10 Being an amateur musician, Cobbett was unable to provide a clear musical definition of phantasy, causing confusion among his contemporaries who attempted to discuss his phantasy 2008), < 7 Sandra Tuppen, About the Purcell Society, The Purcell Society (accessed May 20, 2008), < 8 A common title that emerged as part of the English Musical Renaissance was Fantasia on a theme by, and Vaughan Williams s piece is an example of this. These fantasias are not the concern of this thesis. The phantasies discussed here are not based on pre-existing Tudor melodies, but are instrumental pieces of newly composed material. 9 Hugh Ottaway and Alain Frogley, Vaughan Williams, Ralph, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 10 The most famous example is Benjamin Britten s Phantasy Quartet for Oboe and Strings (1932). Britten also composed a Phantasy in F minor for string quartet, which was first performed in 1932 and won a Cobbett Chamber Music Prize at the RCM. Both pieces follow in the tradition of Cobbett s phantasy, neither of them, howeverm were part of the original flourish of competitions and commissions and so will not be discussed here. Philip Brett, Britten, Benjamin, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed June 5, 2008), <

11 3 ideals. This resulted in even more confusion among following generations of musicologists, such as Anthony Pople, who relied on the work of contemporary scholars to understand the music. Over time, this confusion led to a lack of interest and scholarship, and therefore a lack of understanding regarding the importance of Cobbett and his Phantasy Competitions. In his article Vaughan Williams, Tallis, and the Phantasy Principle, Pople discusses Vaughan Williams s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis as a phantasy. He coins the term Phantasy Principle and uses it in a way that encompasses both phantasies and fantasies, specifically Vaughan Williams s Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Pople briefly discusses Cobbett s competitions and the attempts of Fuller-Maitland, Stanford, and Walker to capture the definition of the word phantasy. He does not question their definitions, nor does it appear that he actually looked at any of Cobbett s phantasies. He does make some attempt to discuss the difference between a fantasy and a phantasy, 11 but never reaches a definite conclusion. This thesis attempts to eliminate confusion regarding the concept of phantasy through placing it in the context of late nineteenth-century music and to show the importance of Cobbett and the phantasy for the English Musical Renaissance. I will discuss the phantasy in Cobbett s writings and those of his contemporaries in order to better understand his intentions. Chapter One begins with a discussion of Walter Wilson Cobbett, the originator of the Phantasy Competitions. I then briefly touch on chamber music during the English Musical Renaissance and end with a historical discussion of the English Fantasia of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Chapter Two narrows its focus to the ideas surrounding Cobbett s competitions and commissions. I begin with a discussion of Cobbett s exposure to and knowledge of the English 11 Anthony Pople, Vaughan Williams, Tallis and the Phantasy Principle, in Vaughan Williams Studies, ed. Alan Frogley (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 56.

12 4 fantasia. The remainder of the chapter explores the concept of phantasy by looking at definitions by Cobbett. Chapter Three continues this discussion by looking at other ways in which phantasy has been defined. This includes a discussion of the differences and similarities between thematic transformation and developing variation as applied to Cobbett s phantasy. This discussion is accompanied by a thematic analysis of three phantasies in terms of the Brahmsian technique of developing variation.

13 5 CHAPTER I. BACKGROUND AND TERMINOLOGY Walter Wilson Cobbett Walter Wilson Cobbett ( ) was born in London. 12 His father, a businessman, introduced Cobbett to music at a young age 13 and purchased for him a Guadagnini violin on which he played while studying with Joseph Haydon Bourne Dando. 14 In addition to his general studies, Cobbett spent time in both France and Germany where he was exposed to a wide variety of ideas and ways of thinking. 15 Cobbett s career was that of a businessman like his father. He worked as a foreign correspondent 16 and founded the Scandinavia Belting Company, while devoting a significant amount of his free time to his love of chamber music. 17 Cobbett owed his love of chamber music to the experience of hearing a Beethoven String quartet led by Joseph Joachim at St. James Hall in London. 18 He wrote, it is not an exaggeration to say that there opened out before me an enchanted world into which I longed to gain entrance. 19 While Cobbett had been exposed to chamber music previously through concerts by 12 Frank Howes and Christina Bashford, Cobbett, Walter Wilson, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 13 Cobbett, Walter Wilson, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1: Chamber Music Life, The, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, ed. Walter Wilson Cobbett (London: Oxford University Press, 1929), 1:259. Dando ( ) was known as the father of amateurs, and like Cobbett was a promoter of chamber music in London. From 1875 until his death in 1894 Dando taught violin at the Charterhouse school where Vaughan Williams was later a student. Christina Bashford, Dando, Joseph (Haydon, Bourne), Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 15 Cobbett, Walter Wilson, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1: Cobbett s father sent him to study privately in France and Germany, from which he owes the cosmopolitan trend of thought which clings to me to this day. While in Normandy he learned a great deal about French literature. While in Frankfurt he stayed with a German pastor who was a proud compatriot of the world s greatest composers. Cobbett wrote that, He taught me to respect as well as love the art of music. This was not the matter of course it is now supposed to be in England. In any case, it was very far from representing the attitude of the English gentleman of that period, who was all for sport; and the lesson was the more valuable. Ibid., Ibid. 17 Frank Howes and Christina Bashford, Cobbett, Walter Wilson, Grove Music Online. 18 Chamber Music Life, The, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1:254. Between 1900 and 1904 the Joachim Quartet played annually at the Popular Monday Concerts in St. James Hall. Roger Thomas Oliver and Beatrix Borshard, Joachim Quartet, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 19 Chamber Music Life, The, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1:

14 6 Dando, he had thought of it as a mere pastime. 20 Joachim s performance opened the door to more profound possibilities in chamber music, and from that time on Cobbett became a very humble devotee of this infinitely beautiful art. Following this event, Cobbett became an active amateur chamber musician. He also began performing in amateur orchestras such as the Strolling Players Orchestral Society. 21 Cobbett s financial success as a businessman allowed him to retire at the age of sixty and devote the remainder of his life to promoting chamber music. Cobbett s most important contributions to chamber music in England were due to his ability to provide funding. He established the Free Library of Chamber Music, which was kept at the headquarters of the Society of Women s Musicians, and contained every chamber work of importance published by British composers. 22 He also provided libraries of chamber music for students at educational institutions. 23 Between 1913 and 1916 Cobbett edited Chamber Music, a bimonthly supplement to the journal Music Student, which provided information about native and foreign performers and composers of chamber music that was not available elsewhere. 24 In 1934 he gave 1000 to establish the Chamber Music Association, a group that promoted chamber music life in London. 25 He also promoted the use of British-made violins and set up occasional competitions for their production after Beginning in 1920, Cobbett annually donated fifty guineas to the Royal College of Music to fund the study of chamber music. In 1928, his generous donation to the Royal College of Music permanently established the Cobbett Prizes, which were presented to composers and 20 Ibid. 21 Frank Howes and Christina Bashford, Cobbett, Walter Wilson, Grove Music Online. 22 Cobbett Free Libraries, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1: Ibid. 24 W.W. Cobbett, More Plain Words, The Musical Times 59 (1918): Frank Howes and Christina Bashford, Cobbett, Walter Wilson, Grove Music Online. 26 Ibid. On January 4, 1919, Cobbett awarded the first prize to Mr. Arthur Richardson of Crediton. Richardson s violin was sold by auction for 33 to Serg. H. J. Unwin of the Canadian Army. The money benefited the Music in War-time Committee. English-Made Violins, The Musical Times 60 (1919): 120.

15 7 performers for their active role in chamber music. Prizes were given for performances of standard chamber music literature, British chamber music literature, performances of chamber music without professional coaching, and compositions of chamber works by college students. 27 Cobbett is perhaps most famous for his Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, which was published in 1929 by Oxford University Press. This monumental work is the first of its kind. It is in two volumes and includes alphabetical entries that address composers, performers, ideas, and activities that in any way relate to chamber music. Cobbett began work on the Cyclopedia in the mid-1920s and expected it to take two years to compile. Perhaps Cobbett underestimated the breadth of the project, for he ended up dedicating over four years to its completion. He felt that this was his final effort to promote chamber music. 28 Not only was the Cyclopedia important in Cobbett s times, but it has also continued to prove useful as a source of information about the life of its author, musical life in England at the turn of the century, and other musical knowledge. Cobbett was a member of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, a London guild dating back to the 1500s. The purpose of the guild was the promot[ion of] all aspects of the art and science of music. 29 Cobbett was an active member through his promotion of chamber music and was appointed Master in His wealth and musical knowledge helped him to distribute his money in the most effective manner, and the Worshipful Company of Musicians helped make that possible. The Company provided financial support when Cobbett commissioned pieces for chamber orchestra from notable British composers and in 1924 endowed an annual medal for services to chamber music, 31 which is still awarded today. 32 It was through the Worshipful 27 Cobbett Prizes at the Royal College of Music, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1: Cobbett, Walter Wilson, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1: Henry Raynor, Worshipful Company of Musicians, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 30 Frank Howes and Christina Bashford: Cobbett, Walter Wilson, Grove Music Online. 31 Musicians Company, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 2:186.

16 8 Company of Musicians that Cobbett began his series of chamber music competitions and commissions for phantasy compositions. As they had previously, the Company financially aided Cobbett in awarding prizes for the first two Phantasy Competitions. 33 Chamber Music During The English Musical Renaissance Cobbett s competitions and commissions added to the chamber music of the English Musical Renaissance. The composition of chamber music in England at the beginning of the nineteenth century was limited. Often chamber music by foreign composers was performed due to the lack of native output. Chamber music performances were limited to the homes of the wealthy, where the Viennese Classics were played. 34 Speaking of the first half of the nineteenth century, Geoffery Bush states that, Any English composer writing a string quartet was performing an act of selfless dedication to his art, without hope of advancing his reputation or gaining any reward. 35 The emerging British chamber music repertoire was dominated by names that are not well known today. Lodge Ellerton ( ) composed fifty string quartets between 1840 and Stylistically they were a mix of Viennese Classical masters, tinged with Romanticism. Sir William Sterndale Bennett ( ) composed one string quartet. Sir Frederic Cowen ( ) composed one string quartet in C minor, which premiered in 1866 at the Leipzig 32 This award is still listed on the Worshipful Company of Musicians website. It is described as, Endowed by Walter Wilson Cobbett (Master ), a silver gilt medal presented annually to a distinguished musician in recognition of services to chamber music. According to the website, the current recipient is Joseph Horovitz. The medal was awarded on April 9, 2008 at Ironmongers Hall in London. Other recipients of the award have been Frank Bridge, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Lady Barbirolli and Levon Chilingirian. Grants and Awards; Walter Wilson Cobbett Medal 1924, The Worshipful Company of Musicians (accessed May 14, 2008), < 33 Musicians Company, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 2: Geoffery Bush, Chamber Music, in Music in Britain, The Romantic Age, , ed. Nicholas Temperley (London: The Athlone Press, 1981), 5: Ibid.

17 9 Conservatory where he had been a student. Sir George Macfarren ( ) composed five string quartets between ca and 1878, but they were not received well. 36 The next generation of British composers gained more recognition both within Britain and internationally. Sir Hubert Parry ( ), who is known for his choral works, composed three string quartets. The first two were in the style of Mendelssohn, while the third was more influenced by Brahms. Sir John McEwen ( ) composed nineteen string quartets in the romantic style, with some Scottish and French influences. Sir Alexander Mackenzie ( ) composed one string quartet in the style of Mendelssohn and Brahms. Charles Wood ( ), an Irish composer, wrote six string quartets inspired by Irish folk music, which were published posthumously in Sir Charles Villiers Stanford ( ) composed eight string quartets in the style of Mendelssohn and Brahms, with some Irish influence in the later quartets. He was best known as a teacher, and many of his students went on to make contributions to English chamber music, including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor ( ), Vaughan Williams ( ), Thomas Dunhill ( ), Frank Bridge ( ), Herbert Howells ( ), John Ireland ( ), and Eugene Goossens ( ), 37 many of whom went on to compose phantasies for Cobbett. Public concerts devoted to chamber music began in 1835 and in 1845 the Beethoven Quartet Society began performing cycles of Beethoven s nine quartets. The Society of British Musicians, founded in 1834, encouraged the composition of British chamber music and 36 This summary is excerpted from Robin Stowell, Traditional and Progressive Nineteenth-Century Trends: France, Italy, Great Britain and America, in The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet, ed. Robin Stowell (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003), Ibid., 260.

18 10 premiered 77 pieces before It is with activities such as these that the English Musical Renaissance began to grow. By the time Cobbett became involved in English chamber music, the Joachim String Quartet frequently performed in London (between 1900 and 1906). Their repertoire included Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms, but they were especially famous for their performances of Beethoven s late string quartets. In 1906 they gave a performance of the complete chamber works of Brahms. 39 Brahms s influence was strong in England, and may be seen in many of Cobbett s phantasies. The two greatest influences on composers of British chamber music during the nineteenth century were Mendelssohn early on and Brahms later in the century. 40 Much of the music of the later English Musical Renaissance emphasized the viola due to the presence of Lionel Tertis ( ), one of the world s leading violists. The increased use of the viola has come to be associated with music of the English Musical Renaissance and a rise in the importance of British chamber music. 41 Beginning in 1893 there was an increase in chamber music festivals and series, including those presented by the Musical Artists Society ( ), the Musical Guild ( ), the Broadwood Chamber Concerts ( ), and the South Place Concerts that began in 1887, 42 which are still active today under the name London Chamber Music Series. 43 Cobbett s Phantasy Competitions came out of this growth in chamber music. As a lover of chamber music during the English Musical Renaissance, it is not surprising that he took interest in the earliest form of English chamber music, the English fantasia of the fifteenth and 38 Geoffery Bush, Chamber Music, in Music in Britain, The Romantic Age, , 5: Roger Thomas Oliver and Beatrix Borshard, Joachim Quartet, Grove Music Online. 40 Geoffery Bush, Chamber Music, in Music in Britain, The Romantic Age, , 5: Ibid., Ibid. 43 Peter Fribbons, A Brief History of the Sunday Concerts, London Chamber Music Series (accessed May 14, 20038), <

19 11 sixteenth centuries. Though not often thought of as chamber music, the fantasia fits the definition perfectly: it was composed for small ensembles with one player to a part, to be played in private for personal enjoyment. 44 A brief discussion about the stylistic history of the English fantasia will help us understand the origin of Cobbett s phantasy. The English Fantasia The term fantasia had been used in Europe since the late Middle Ages to identify a composition in free form based on newly-composed material. It was associated with a sense of imagination, and was derived from the Greek word phantasia, 45 with the same meaning. The first known piece to bear the title of fantasia is an instrumental composition by Josquin in an imitative style, from around By 1520 the term was used as a title for German keyboard compositions and was used throughout Italy by As a keyboard title, the term fantasia was interchangeable with ricercar during the mid-sixteenth century, but by the end of the century it was more associated with the term canzona, a chanson arranged for instruments. 47 The fantasia in England originated from performances of vocal motets on instruments, such as those by William Cornysh, Robert Fayrfax, Christopher Tye, and Thomas Tallis. 48 Over time the need for purely instrumental compositions led to the development of the fantasia as an instrumental genre. The English fantasia was a freely composed style of early instrumental music, originating from the sixteenth-century vocal motet. Like the motet, the fantasia has a series of polyphonic 44 Christina Bashford, Chamber Music, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 45 Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 46 Ibid. 47 John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music (New York: Pendragon Press, ca. 1998), Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online.

20 12 sections, each based on the contrapuntal development of one thematic subject. 49 While some motet melodies were based on chant, the fantasia was always based on newly composed material. 50 Fantasias were composed for viol consorts of three, four, five, or six instruments and were played in courts, churches, universities, and in the homes of the wealthy during the Elizabethan ( ), 51 Jacobean ( ) 52 and Carolinian ( ) 53 periods. 54 They were composed for private performances by viol consorts of both professionals and amateurs. 55 Out of all the fantasia compositions, few were printed, those being for richer patrons. 56 Most of the music was disseminated through individual copies, with most of what has survived in manuscript form. 57 Often houses would have collections of manuscript part books. 58 The earliest definition of the fantasia comes from Thomas Morley s compositional treatise, Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke, of Morley defined the fantasia thus: The most principall and chiefest kind of musicke which is made without a dittie is the fantasies, that is, when a musician taketh a point at his pleasure, and wresteth and turneth it as he list, making either much or little of it according as shall seeme best in his own 49 Ernst H. Meyer, Early English Chamber Music: From the Middle Ages to Purcell, ed. Author and Diana Poulton (Boston: M. Boyars, 1982), Ibid. 51 John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music, 29; Michael Clarke, Elizabethan, in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms (accessed May 24, 2008), < Christopher Baldick, Jacobean, in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (accessed May 24,2008), < e517>. 53 Christopher Baldick, Caroline, in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (accessed May 24, 2008), < 39>. 54 Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online. 55 John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music, Meyer, H. Ernst, Early English Chamber Music: From the Middle Ages to Purcell, Ibid., Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online.

21 13 conceit. In this may more art be showne then in any other musicke, because the composer is tide to nothing but that he may adde, diminish, and alter at his pleasure. And this kind will beare any allowances whatsoeuer tolerable in other musicke, except changing the ayre & leaving the key, which in fantasie may neuer be suffered Other things you may use at your pleasure, as bindings with discords, quicke motions, slow motions, proportions, and what you list. Likewise, this kind of musick is with them who practice instruments of parts in greatest use, but for voices it is but sildone used. 59 According to Morley s definition, while the fantasia began as an instrumental version of the motet, it became an independent instrumental genre. The composer was able to play with the thematic material in any way; he stated that they were tie[d] to nothing, free to adde, diminish, and alter at his pleasure. 60 The only restriction was that they could not change the ayre or key. Following Morley s 1597 description, the fantasia continued to develop. In 1667 Christopher Simpson discussed the form of the fancy, a later advancement of the fantasia, 61 in his Compendium of Practical Musick. He wrote: Of Musick design d for Instruments the chief and most excellent, for Art and Contrivance, are Fancies, of 6, 5, 4, and 3 parts, intended commonly for Viols. In this sort of Musick the Composer (being not limitted to words) doth imploy all his Art and Invention solely about the bringing in and carrying on of Fuges, according to the Order and Method formerly shewed. When he has tryed all the several wayes which he thinks fit to be used therein; he takes some other point, and does the like with it: or else, for variety, introduces some Chromatick Notes, with Bindings and Intermixtures of 59 Ernst H. Meyer, Early English Chamber Music: From the Middle Ages to Purcell, Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online. 61 W.W. Cobbett, The Beginnings of British Chamber Music, Chamber Music 13 (1915):

22 14 Discords; or, falls into some lighter Humour like a Madrigal, or what else his own fancy shall lead him to: but still concluding with something which hath Art and excellency in it. 62 The change in terminology from fantasia to fancy is seen here. Simpson gives a clear sense of the structure of the fancy, and how it has changed since Morley s definition of the fantasia. These later fancies, for 3, 4, 5, or 6 parts, are described as having different sections, each with a different character. While there seems to have been a clear distinction between the fantasia and the fancy at the time, they are often now used interchangeably due to the number of variants of the above definitions, and they will be used as such throughout this study. Some of the most prolific fantasia composers were John Coprario, Richard Dering, Michael East, Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger, Thomas Ford, Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Lupo, Martin Peerson, Thomas Tomkins, John Ward, William White, Charles Coleman, William Cranford, John Hingeston, Simon Ives, John Jenkins, William Lawes, Richard Mico, and John Okeover. 63 I will briefly discuss three generations of English fantasia composers. The first generation is represented by the fantasias of Alfonso Ferrabosco ( ). Ferrabosco s fantasias tend to be structured around a single theme. A single thematic idea would be introduced, used throughout in augmentation and diminution, and then restated in its original form. 64 This use of a single theme created a style known as the monothematic fantasia. 65 Other composers in this first generation include William Byrd (ca ), who helped establish the fantasia as the main type of chamber music in England, 66 and Thomas Lupo ( ), 62 Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online. 63 Ibid. 64 Ibid. 65 John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music, Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online.

23 15 who composed fantasias with more than one theme. 67 This first generation established the fantasia as an instrumental genre separate from the vocal motet. 68 The second generation included composers John Jenkins ( ) and William Lawes ( ). The fantasias of Jenkins have clear sections, marked by rests, cadences, change of motives, change of style, and in a few cases even by change of meter, 69 and are written in a standard polyphonic style. 70 The fantasias of Lawes are characterized by bold, ardent gestures, adventurous textures and a fondness for rugged subjects and strong-willed lines. 71 Many of his six-part fantasias have concerted sections between small groups or between a soloist and the remainder of the group. 72 The last generation of fantasia composition is dominated by Henry Purcell ( ). Purcell s fantasias are in one movement with clearly delineated changes between slow and fast sections. New sections are marked by new motives, cadences, or rhythmic changes. 73 The fantasia tradition in England came to an end with Purcell. By 1680 the use of treble and tenor viols had almost disappeared, and many of his fantasias never circulated beyond his immediate circle. The majority of his fantasias were written in or before 1680 and can be viewed as selfeducation composition exercises. 74 As John Baron reflects, with Purcell the intimate, active participative nature of chamber music was replaced with passive listening to public concerts and virtuosic performances John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music, Ibid., John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music, Christopher D. S. Field, Fantasia, Grove Music Online. 71 Ibid. 72 Ibid. 73 John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music, Peter Holman and Robert Thompson, Henry Purcell, Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (accessed May 20, 2008), < 75 John H. Baron, Intimate Music: A History of the Idea of Chamber Music, 38.

24 16 CHAPTER II. COBBETT AND THE PHANTASY Cobbett and the English Fantasia The majority of Cobbett s knowledge regarding the English fantasia most likely came from a series of Gresham Lectures 76 given by Sir Frederick Bridge. Because he was not an institutionally educated musician, it is difficult to know exactly what Cobbett had heard or read and how it had influenced him. The following section will attempt to reconstruct what Cobbett could have been exposed to by the time of his first phantasy competition in The generally accepted knowledge at the time regarding the English fantasia can be taken from Grove s original Dictionary of Music and Musicians ( ), so I will begin with a brief overview of the information it provides. According to Grove, the English fantasia was a predecessor of sonata form and is similar to the ricercar in that both terms were among the first used to refer to purely instrumental compositions. The fantasia descended from the madrigal, in that the first fantasias were simply madrigals played on instruments. Over time, composers began writing music that was intended to be purely instrumental. Pieces were composed for instruments in families, such as the chests of viols, or cornets. Fantasias are characterized by fugues and responsive passages. 77 In his Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, Cobbett enhances the definition of the English fancy, identifying it as an improvement on the Italian fantasias, and he finds this change important to 76 Gresham Lecturers have given free public lectures in the city of London since The lecture series is named after Sir Thomas Gresham who first proposed the idea of public lectures. He established seven topics for seven professors, one of each in Astronomy, Divinity, Geometry, Law, Music, Physics and Rhetoric. In 1985 the Chair of Commerce was added to the already established seven. Since 1991, the college is based at Barnard s Inn Hall. In addition to the free public lectures, the College runs occasional seminars and conferences, and provides support to initiatives by the Gresham Professors and others which seek to reinterpret the new learning of Sir Thomas Gresham s time in contemporary terms. The current Gresham Professors are Professor Ian Morison Astronomy, Professor Michael Mainelli Chair of Commerce, Professor Keith Ward Divinity, Professor Robin Wilson Geometry, Professor Vernon Bogdanor Law, Professor Roger Parker Music, Professor Christopher Dye Physics, Professor Rodney Barker Rhetoric, Raj Persaud Visiting Gresham Professor of Psychiatry. Professors generally have a three-year tenure. What is Gresham College? Gresham College (accessed May 22, 2008), < 77 A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Fantasia, ed. George Grove (New York: Macmillan, ).

25 17 the history of chamber music. 78 Gresham Lecturer at the time, Sir Frederick Bridge referred to the fancy as the counterpart of the chamber quartet and trio of the present day. 79 Chamber music was as popular among viol amateurs of the seventeenth century as it was among amateur string players at the turn of the twentieth century. Cobbett first heard performances of fancies, albeit on modern instruments, during the Gresham Lectures given by Sir Frederick Bridge. He heard pieces by Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Ravenscroft, Richard Deering, John Ward, William Lawes, Matthew Locke, as well as others. Bridge also mentioned compositions by Alfonso Ferrabosco, John Coperario, Thomas Lupo, Qilliam White, Charles Coleman, Henry Purcell, and John Jenkins, so it is possible that Cobbett heard their compositions as well. These fantasias and/or fancies cover the three generations of composers of the fantasia and reflect many of the different styles of composition discussed in chapter one. Cobbett refers to the form of the fancies he heard as not of the academic type. 80 While they are all in one movement, they do have distinct sections, leaving Cobbett to compare them to abbreviated sonata form. 81 Speaking strictly of performances of fancies by Purcell, Cobbett found there to be a notable thickness of tone. He described Gibbons s three-part fancies as less of the imaginative quality which becomes a writer of fancies than that of other composers. He was, however, particularly taken with the fancies of Ravenscroft, Deering, Ward, Lawes, Crawford, and Locke. Cobbett described their fancies as not resembling modern harmony, and he heard them as ending in a different key than they began. He stated that, they were full of naïvetés of 78 Fancy, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, ed. Walter Wilson Cobbett (London: Oxford University Press, 1929), 1: Ibid. 80 Ibid. 81 Ibid.

26 18 construction and tonality, but due to their age, they still inspired him. 82 In his Cyclopedia, Cobbett quotes a lecture given by Bridge that states: The fancy was cultivated as an instrumental form of chamber music down to the Stuart period, and there are examples on record by Ferrabosco, Coperario, Lupo, William White, John Ward, Dr. Charles Coleman, John Jenkins, Matthew Locke, and in fact nearly every composer of instrumental music during about eighty years previous to The fancy was the counterpart of the chamber quartet and trio of the present day. 83 Cobbett claims that Bridge devoted a whole lecture to the music of Gibbons on the eve of the commemoration of Orlando Gibbons, then about to take place in Westminster Abbey, to a consideration of that instrumental music of that composer. 84 It is at this lecture where presumably Cobbett would have heard the music of Gibbons. At later lectures he heard performances of works by Ravenscroft, Deering, Ward, Lawes, Crawford, and Locke. Of these fancies he said, I expected little except that they would prove of archaic interest; as a matter of fact they were a revelation to me [ ]. 85 The only published lecture that Bridge gave is titled, Music in England in the Year 1604, from a conference that took place in June and July of 1904 under the direction of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. A series of lectures and an exhibition of old instruments and manuscripts took place to celebrate the Tercentenary of the charter being granted to the company by King James I. 86 Bridge s paper was presented on July 4 th and then again on the 16 th. While 82 Ibid. 83 Ibid. 84 W. W. Cobbett, The Beginnings of British Chamber Music, Chamber Music 13 (1915): Ibid. 86 Sir Frederick Bridge, Music in England in the Year 1604, in English Music, 1604 to 1904: Being the Lectures Given at the Music Loan Exhibition of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, held at Fishmongers' Hall, London Bridge, June-July, 1904, 2 nd ed. (New York: Scribner, 1911), The paper was given at the Music Loan Exhibition of the Worshipful Company of Musicians held at Fishmongers Hall, London Bridge June-July Bridge was a member of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

27 19 Cobbett did not become a member of the Musicians Company until 1905, he presented a paper at this event on July 13 th titled, The Violin Family and its Music. 87 That Cobbett was present and aware of the events, and that Bridge presented his paper twice, makes it safe to assume that Cobbett did in fact hear his lecture. Bridge divided his lecture into three parts: instrumental and church music, instrumental and secular vocal music, and, lastly, just instrumental music. He began by providing broad comments on England and its musical scene at the time, comparing the level of musicians then in England to be equal to that produced by any foreign country. 88 He stated: [T]here [was] Byrde [ ] Bull (the first Gresham Professor of Music), Wiley, Morley, Dowland, Bennet, Edwardes, Weelkes, and Orlando Gibbons surely a splendid force, splendidly endowed! No musician can make himself acquainted with the works of these men, both theoretical and practical, without feeling a glow of pride in our English school if music of that day. What a deal of ground they covered. Byrde and Bull composed for the clavier and organ; Bennet, Morley, Wilbye, and Ravenscroft wrote vocal and instrumental music; Orlando Gibbons, who almost equaled Palestrina in his church music, wrote some admirable chamber music and fancies, with Jenkins opening the way for Purcell s sonatas and the string quartet. 89 Based on the above quote, this particular lecture does not appear to be the same one that Cobbett discussed in his Cyclopedia, however, it does provide the same type of general knowledge that Cobbett claimed to have heard. Knowing that Cobbett was present at this particular lecture, however, means that the information discussed in his encyclopedia came from another Bridge 87 Dotted Crotchet [pseud. of F. G. Edwards], The Tercentenary Exhibition of the Musicians Company [Second Article], The Musical Times 45 (1904): Sir Frederick Bridge, Music in England in the Year 1604, in English Music, 1604 to 1904, Ibid.,

28 20 lecture. It is also possible that Cobbett attended many different lectures over an extended period of time and summarized what he heard. At this lecture, Cobbett heard a selection of pieces played on period instruments. In his Cyclopedia, however, Cobbett claims that the pieces he heard during a different Bridge lecture were performed on modern instruments, because it was not practical at the time to play them on original instruments, as Cobbett claims Bridge had wanted. 90 Regardless, the pieces performed during this particular lecture were a Prelude in G by Orlando Gibbons, Lord Souche s Maske (Masque) for Six Instruments from Morley s Consort Lessons, 91 and a Gibbons Fancy for two viols and a bass, which Bridge saw as the predecessor of Purcell s sonatas, and eventually the modern string quartet. 92 Bridge concluded his lecture with a reflection on how chamber music had changed since the year 1604: In conclusion, I might ask, is home music as much practiced now as it was about 1604? That our concerts multiply exceedingly, and the people delight in splendid orchestral performances is apparent. But what of music in the home, especially concerted music? Where are not the Sets of Recorders or the Chest of Viols once found in not a few English houses in Elizabethan and Jacobean times? Will you find families able to play upon the strings the Fancies our composers put forth? Again, in what present-day houses can the Madrigal books be placed upon the table, and the members of the family display their skill in singing this delightful music? I know of none! Fancy, in Cobbett s Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music, 1: Sir Frederick Bridge, Music in England in the Year 1604, in English Music, 1604 to 1904, Ibid., Ibid., 189.

29 21 As an amateur chamber musician, and soon to be promoter of the new phantasy, Cobbett would have at the least been able to relate to this statement, if not find it inspiring. Beyond the 1904 lecture, without copies of Bridge s lecture notes or specific accounts, it is impossible to know exactly what he said, and subsequently, what Cobbett would have heard. While we do know that Cobbett heard pieces by Gibbons and Purcell, it is also impossible to know exactly which pieces of music Cobbett could have heard. A brief look at a fantasia that may have inspired Cobbett will shed light on those aspects of the old style Cobbett was trying to capture in his phantasies. I have chosen an example by John Ward to discuss. John Ward (ca ) composed his Fantasia No. 9 sometime before The instrumentation is for five viols and organ, although the organ part doubles the viol parts and was most likely only used when the instruments needed help staying in tune. A large number of sources have survived of the five- and six-part consort music of Ward, 94 indicating that it was popular during its time and that it is possible for Cobbett to have heard one of his pieces. The Fantasia is in ABA form, with three contrasting sections, each based on new thematic material. 95 As an amateur listener, Cobbett would have heard a fantasia like Ward s as being comprised of three distinct sections, delineated by cadences or rests. Each section begins by stating a theme, which is restated in each voice through points of imitation. In true polyphonic nature, each of the five voices plays an equally important role in creating the texture. The entire piece would have been between two and three minutes long, 96 much shorter than most 94 Some examples are: Oxford, Christ Church, Mus. MSS 2. P, , S, T, 436 U, W; London, British Library, Add. MSS H; British Library MS Egerton John D. Ward, Consort Music of Five and Six Parts, Musica Britannica Vol. 67, ed. and trans. by Ian Payne (London: Stainer and Bell, 1995). 95 John D. Ward, Consort Music of Five and Six Parts, XV. 96 John Ward, Fantasy, on Bara Faustus Dreame: Mr. Francis Tregian His Choice, Les Witches, NAXOS ALPHA063. On this recording the piece is 2 minutes and 50 seconds long.